Construction equipment having unified vibration absorber and rollover protection structure

ABSTRACT

Construction equipment having unified vibration absorber and ROPS is provided, which can protect an operator by restricting the displacement of a cab through the ROPS when an excessive load is applied to the cab due to a rollover accident or the like of the equipment during traveling or working of the equipment. The construction equipment includes a lower driving structure; an upper swing structure including a body frame mounted on the lower driving structure to be swiveled and a bottom plate mounted on the body frame; a cap and an engine room mounted on the upper swing structure; a working device including a boom, an arm, and a bucket; a counter weight mounted on the rear of the upper swing structure; a vibration absorber mounted between the body frame and the bottom plate to elastically support the cab against the body frame; a load support cover put on the vibration absorber and fixed to a flange of the vibration absorber by a fixing device so that if overload is applied to the cab, the cab can be moved in a direction in which the load is transferred to the cab; and a fastening member closely fixing the cab, the bottom plate, the load support cover, and the vibration absorber in a body.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is based on and claims priority from Korean PatentApplication No. 10-2009-118967, filed on Dec. 3, 2009 in the KoreanIntellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporatedherein in its entirety by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to construction equipment which canprevent excessive displacement of a cab by means of an ROPS (RolloverProtective Structure) when impact or the like is transferred to the cab.

More particularly, the present invention relates to constructionequipment having unified vibration absorber and ROPS, which can protectan operator by restricting the displacement of a cab through the ROPSwhen an excessive load is applied to the cab due to a rollover accidentor the like of the equipment during traveling or working of theequipment.

2. Description of the Prior Art

The rules for a cab protection structure have been strengthened tosecure an operator's safety when an accident occurs in ISO(International Organization for Standardization) or SAE (Society ofAutomotive Engineers). That is, an FOPS (Falling Object ProtectiveStructure) which prevents a dangerous object from making an invasioninto an operator's work range in a cab during working, an ROPS (RolloverProtective Structure) which protects an operator from a cab structurethat is displaced when the equipment is overturned during working, andthe like, are installed in the cab.

Construction equipment to which the present invention is applied, asillustrated in FIG. 1, includes a lower driving structure 1; an upperswing structure 2 mounted on the lower driving structure 1 to beswiveled; a cap 3 and an engine room 4 mounted on the upper swingstructure 2; a working device 11 including a boom 6 rotatably fixed tothe upper swing structure 2 to be driven by a boom cylinder 6, an arm 8connected to the boom 6 to be driven by an arm cylinder 7, and a bucket10 connected to the arm 8 to be driven by a bucket cylinder 9; and acounter weight 12 mounted on the rear of the upper swing structure 2.

A vibration absorber and load supporter mounted on a cab of theconstruction equipment in the related art, as illustrated in FIG. 2, mayinclude a vibration absorber 14 that elastically supports a cab 3against a body frame 13 so as to offset vibration or the like of theequipment transferred to the cab 3 in upward and downward directions,and a load supporter 15 that controls displacement of the cab 3 whensuch displacement occurs on the cab 3.

As an enlarged illustration of FIG. 2, a bracket 16 that is composed ofan upper plate 16 a and a side wall 16 b is fixed to an upper surface ofthe body frame 13, and through-holes 17 and 18 for mounting thevibration absorber 14 and the load supporter 15 are formed on the upperplate 16 a.

The above-described vibration absorber 14 is inserted into thethrough-hole 17 of the bracket 16, and an external flange 19 thereof isfixed to the upper plate 16 a by a bolt (not illustrated).

The load supporter 15 as described above includes a shaft member 21fixed to a bottom plate 20 through the through-hole 18, and a stopper 22put on a head portion 21 a of the shaft member 21. If no impact or thelike occurs on the body frame, a gap G1 is maintained between the uppersurface of the stopper 22 and the upper plate 16 a, and a gap G2 ismaintained between an outer surface of the shaft member 21 and an innersurface of the through-hole 21.

If the cab 3 is displaced in a direction that becomes far from the bodyframe 13, such displacement is permitted until the upper surface of thestopper 22 of the load supporter 15 becomes in contact with the bottomsurface of the upper plate 16 a. By contrast, if the cab 3 is displacedin a direction that becomes near to the body frame 13, such displacementis permitted until the bottom surface of the bottom plate 20 becomes incontact with the upper surface of the upper plate 16 a.

On the other hand, if the cab 3 is displaced in a horizontal directionagainst the body frame 13, such displacement is permitted until theouter surface of the shaft member 21 of the load supporter 15 becomes incontact with the inner surface of the through-hole 18.

If an elastic body (a rubber material) of the vibration absorber 14 isexposed to the outside and becomes in direct contact with grease, ozone,a chemical material, or a sharp object, the durability of the vibrationabsorber 14 may be shortened. In this case, the function of the loadsupporter 15 may be lost.

Also, since the vibration absorber 14 and the load supporter 15 areseparately mounted, the number of parts for fixing them is increased tocause the increase of the manufacturing cost.

Also, the vibration absorber 14 and the load supporter 15, which areseparately mounted, take up much space.

Also, the workability for assembling the vibration absorber 14 and theload supporter 15 in a narrow cab is degraded.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve theabove-mentioned problems occurring in the prior art while advantagesachieved by the prior art are maintained intact.

An embodiment of the present invention relates to construction equipmenthaving unified vibration absorber and ROPS (Rollover ProtectiveStructure), which can prevent an elastic body of a rubber material ofthe vibration absorber that is mounted on a bottom surface of a cab frombeing exposed to the outside and damaged due to a chemical material, asharp object, and the like.

An embodiment of the present invention relates to construction equipmenthaving unified vibration absorber and ROPS (Rollover ProtectiveStructure), which can reduce the number of parts and the manufacturingcost and usefully utilize a space occupied by a load supporter byintegrally mounting a vibration absorber and the load supporter on thesame axis.

An embodiment of the present invention relates to construction equipmenthaving unified vibration absorber and ROPS (Rollover ProtectiveStructure), which can improve the workability for assembling a vibrationabsorber and a load supporter in a narrow cab.

An embodiment of the present invention relates to construction equipmenthaving unified vibration absorber and ROPS (Rollover ProtectiveStructure), which can prevent a fixing bolt of a vibration absorber frombeing released and prevent the damage of a thread of a male screw whenthe male screw of the vibration absorber is fixed to a bottom plate.

In one aspect of the present invention, there is provided constructionequipment having unified vibration absorber and ROPS (RolloverProtective Structure), which includes a lower driving structure; anupper swing structure including a body frame mounted on the lowerdriving structure to be swiveled and a bottom plate mounted on the bodyframe; a cap and an engine room mounted on the upper swing structure; aworking device including a boom rotatably fixed to the upper swingstructure to be driven by a boom cylinder, an arm connected to the boomto be driven by an arm cylinder, and a bucket connected to the arm to bedriven by a bucket cylinder; a counter weight mounted on the rear of theupper swing structure; a vibration absorber mounted between the bodyframe and the bottom plate to elastically support the cab against thebody frame; a load support cover put on the vibration absorber and fixedto a flange of the vibration absorber by a fixing device so that ifoverload is applied to the cab, the cab can be moved in a direction inwhich the load is transferred to the cab; and a fastening member closelyfixing the cab, the bottom plate, the load support cover, and thevibration absorber in a body.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the fixing deviceincludes a fixing member fixing a flange of the load support cover tothe flange of the vibration absorber; and a load support stopper engagedwith an outer side of the fixing member, having a lower end portionpassing through a through-hole formed on a flange of the load supportcover, being in close contact with an upper surface of the flange of thevibration absorber, and limiting a displacement that occurs on the cabdue to overload being applied to the cab.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an outer diameter ofthe load support stopper is formed to be smaller than an inner diameterof the through-hole formed on the flange of the load support stopper sothat the load support cover is movable against the fixing device when aload is applied to the cab.

With the above-described construction, the construction equipment havingunified vibration absorber and ROPS (Rollover Protective Structure)according to an embodiment of the present invention has the followingadvantages.

An elastic body of a vibration absorber that is mounted on the bottomsurface of a cab in an excavator is prevented from being exposed to theoutside and damaged due to a chemical material, a sharp object, and thelike, and thus the durability of the vibration absorber can be extended.

Also, since a load supporter and a vibration absorber are integrallymounted on the same axis, the number of parts and the manufacturing costcan be reduced, and thus the manufacturing cost and the working expensescan be saved.

Also, a vibration absorber and a load supporter can be easily assembledin a narrow cab.

Also, a fixing bolt of a vibration absorber is prevented from beingreleased to secure the reliability, and the damage of a thread of a malescrew is prevented when the male screw of the vibration absorber isfixed to a bottom plate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will be more apparent from the following detailed descriptiontaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of construction equipment to which thepresent invention is applied;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a vibration absorber and ROPS mounted onconstruction equipment in the related art;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating main parts ofconstruction equipment having unified vibration absorber and ROPSaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the vibration absorber and ROPSillustrated in FIG. 3; and

FIGS. 5A to 5C are perspective views of a load supporter integrallymounted with the vibration absorber illustrated in FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will bedescribed with reference to the accompanying drawings. The mattersdefined in the description, such as the detailed construction andelements, are nothing but specific details provided to assist those ofordinary skill in the art in a comprehensive understanding of theinvention, and thus the present invention is not limited thereto.

As illustrated in FIG. 3 and FIGS. 5A to 5C, construction equipmenthaving unified vibration absorber and ROPS (Rollover ProtectiveStructure) according to an embodiment of the present invention includesa lower driving structure 1; an upper swing structure 2 including a bodyframe 13 mounted on the lower driving structure 1 to be swiveled and abottom plate 20 mounted on the body frame 13; a cap 3 and an engine room4 mounted on the upper swing structure 2; a working device 11 includinga boom 6 rotatably fixed to the upper swing structure 2 to be driven bya boom cylinder 5, an arm 8 connected to the boom 6 to be driven by anarm cylinder 7, and a bucket 10 connected to the arm 8 to be driven by abucket cylinder 9; a counter weight 12 mounted on the rear of the upperswing structure 2; a vibration absorber 14 mounted between the bodyframe 13 and the bottom plate 20 (i.e. mounted on left and right sidesin the rear of the cab or mounted in the front and rear portions of thecab and on left and right sides of the cab) to elastically support thecab 3 against the body frame 13 so that impact that is transferred fromthe construction equipment to the cab 3 in upward and downwarddirections is offset; a load support cover 32 put on the vibrationabsorber 14 and fixed to a flange 31 of the vibration absorber 14 by afixing device 30 so that if overload is applied to the cab 3, the cab 3can be moved in a, direction in which the load is transferred to the cab3; and a fastening member 33 for fixing the ROPS (hereinafter referredto as a “fastening member”) closely fixing the cab 3, the bottom plate20, the load support cover 32, and the vibration absorber 14 in a body.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the fixing device 30includes a fixing member 35 (e.g. a head cap screw) fixing a flange 34of the load support cover 32 to the flange 31 of the vibration absorber14; and a load support stopper 37 engaged with an outer side of thefixing member, having a lower end portion passing through a through-hole36 formed on a flange 34 of the load support cover 32, being in closecontact with an upper surface of the flange 31 of the vibration absorber14, and limiting a displacement that occurs on the cab 3 due to overloadbeing applied to the cab 3.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an outer diameter ofthe load support stopper 37 is formed to be smaller than an innerdiameter of the through-hole 36 formed on the flange 34 of the loadsupport stopper 37 so that the load support cover 32 is movable againstthe fixing device 30 when a load is applied to the cab 3.

In this case, since the construction, except for the load support cover32 put on the vibration absorber 14 and integrally fixed to thevibration absorber 14, the fixing device 30 including the fixing member35 and the load support stopper 37 and limiting the displacement of thecab 3 (i.e. a gap h between the upper surface of the flange 34 of theload support cover 32 and the bottom surface of a boss of the loadsupport stopper 37) when overload is transferred to the cab 3, and thefastening member 33 fixing the vibration absorber 14, the bottom plate20, the load support cover 32, and the cab 3 in a body, is substantiallythe same as the construction of the construction equipment asillustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the detailed explanation of theconstruction and operation thereof will be omitted. The same referencenumerals are used for the same elements across the figures.

Hereinafter, the use example of the construction equipment having theunified vibration absorber and ROPS according to an embodiment of thepresent invention will be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5A to 5C, the flange 31 of thevibration absorber 14 is fixed to a bracket 16 mounted on the body frame13 through bolts. The load support cover 32 is put on the vibrationabsorber 14, and the flange 34 of the load support cover 32 is fixed tothe flange 31 of the vibration absorber 14 by the fixing member 35. Atthis time, the load support stopper 37 is pre-engaged with and fixed tothe outer surface of the fixing member 35.

As described above, the load supporter composed of the load supportcover 32 and the fixing device 30 is integrally mounted on the vibrationabsorber 14.

The vibration absorber 14 and the load support cover 32, which areintegrally fixed on the same axis, are closely fixed to the cab 3 andthe bottom plate 20 in a body by the fastening member 33.

As described above, according to the construction equipment having theunified vibration absorber and ROPS according to an embodiment of thepresent invention, the load support cover 32, which is put on andmovably fixed to the vibration absorber 14, integrally moves within theelastic displacement of the vibration absorber 14 during working ortraveling of the construction equipment in a work condition whereoverload is not transferred to the cab 3.

On the other hand, if an excessive load is applied to the cab 3 due to arollover accident or the like of the equipment during traveling orworking of the equipment and the cab 3 is displaced in a direction thatbecomes far from the body frame 13, the upper surface of the flange 34of the load support cover 32 moves upward along the fixing device 30 asshown in FIG. 4. The displacement of the cab 3 is limited to the gap hbetween the upper surface of the flange 34 of the load support cover 32and the bottom surface of the boss of the load support stopper 37.

On the other hand, if the cab 3 is displaced in the horizontal directionagainst the body frame 13, such displacement is permitted until theouter surface of the load support stopper 37 becomes in contact with theinner surface of the through-hole 36 of the flange 34.

Although preferred embodiment of the present invention has beendescribed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art willappreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions arepossible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the inventionas disclosed in the accompanying claims.

1. Construction equipment having unified vibration absorber and ROPS(Rollover Protective Structure), comprising: a lower driving structure;an upper swing structure including a body frame mounted on the lowerdriving structure to be swiveled and a bottom plate mounted on the bodyframe; a cap and an engine room mounted on the upper swing structure; aworking device including a boom rotatably fixed to the upper swingstructure to be driven by a boom cylinder, an arm connected to the boomto be driven by an arm cylinder, and a bucket connected to the arm to bedriven by a bucket cylinder; a counter weight mounted on the rear of theupper swing structure; a vibration absorber mounted between the bodyframe and the bottom plate to elastically support the cab against thebody frame; a load support cover put on the vibration absorber and fixedto a flange of the vibration absorber by a fixing device so that ifoverload is applied to the cab, the cab can be moved in a direction inwhich the load is transferred to the cab; and a fastening member closelyfixing the cab, the bottom plate, the load support cover, and thevibration absorber in a body.
 2. The construction equipment according toclaim 1, wherein the fixing device comprises: a fixing member fixing aflange of the load support cover to the flange of the vibrationabsorber; and a load support stopper engaged with an outer side of thefixing member, having a lower end portion passing through a through-holeformed on a flange of the load support cover, being in close contactwith an upper surface of the flange of the vibration absorber, andlimiting a displacement that occurs on the cab due to overload beingapplied to the cab.
 3. The construction equipment according to claim 2,wherein an outer diameter of the load support stopper is formed to besmaller than an inner diameter of the through-hole formed on the flangeof the load support stopper so that the load support cover is movableagainst the fixing device when a load is applied to the cab.